california news

The Supreme Court is poised to potentially weaken the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act in an upcoming Louisiana redistricting case to be argued Wednesday, signaling a possible reversal of its 2023 decision that preserved race-based remedies. The Court has expanded the legal question to directly address whether VRA remedies tied to race might violate constitutional equal protection guarantees. This case centers on a dispute over Louisiana's congressional districts and whether a second majority-Black district should be created in a state where approximately one-third of residents are African American. The outcome could significantly impact future congressional and legislative redistricting nationwide, continuing a pattern of the Roberts Court limiting civil rights-era remedies.

The ongoing federal government shutdown has created a vacuum of official economic data, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics can no longer publish its monthly employment report. Private firms including ADP, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Carlyle have stepped in with their own analyses, collectively indicating job losses and a cooling labor market. ADP reported 32,000 private-sector jobs lost in September, with the heaviest losses in manufacturing, construction, and professional services, particularly affecting the Midwest region. Adding to the crisis, a memo from the Office of Management and Budget suggests that furloughed federal workers may not receive back pay once the shutdown ends, contradicting the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act and creating further hardship for the approximately 49,000 District residents who are federally employed.

The Biden administration's 2021 policy restricting ICE from detaining pregnant, postpartum, or nursing immigrants except in extreme circumstances appears to be routinely disregarded under the Trump administration, according to multiple lawsuits and advocate reports. Congress recently allowed a requirement to lapse that mandated biannual reporting on how many such immigrants are being detained, making it impossible to quantify the exact numbers. Medical professionals have raised serious concerns about detention conditions for pregnant immigrants, including inadequate nutrition, inconsistent medical care, and psychological stress that can threaten pregnancy outcomes. Multiple cases documented in the article detail disturbing situations including a U.S. citizen detained while nine months pregnant, a woman who miscarried in custody, and a nursing mother separated from her infant.

During a US Marine Corps 250th birthday celebration attended by Vice President JD Vance in California, artillery shrapnel prematurely detonated overhead and struck two vehicles that were part of Vance's protective detail. The incident sparked political tension between California Governor Gavin Newsom, who had closed a section of Interstate 5 due to safety concerns, and the White House, which initially disputed these safety concerns before learning about the mishap. No injuries were reported, and the Marine Corps canceled further munitions firing while launching an investigation into the 155-millimeter shell incident. During the event, which the Marines described as the largest demonstration in a decade in the continental US, Vance delivered remarks about his Marine service, criticized diversity initiatives in the military, and blamed Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown.

The "No Kings" demonstrations across the US drew millions of protesters opposing President Trump's policies and expansion of presidential authority, exceeding turnout expectations with peaceful gatherings in major cities and smaller towns. Democrats, liberals, and some anti-Trump Republicans rallied together despite having little formal power in national politics. The White House responded dismissively, with Trump posting AI-generated videos mocking protesters. While the demonstrations suggest potential for Democratic resurgence, the party faces internal divisions over opposition strategy during the ongoing government shutdown, which is entering its fourth week with significant impacts on federal workers and services.

Rising TikTok music star D4vd (David Anthony Burke) found himself at the center of a disturbing investigation after the severely decomposed body of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez was discovered in the front trunk of his Tesla on September 8, 2024. The teenager, who had been reported missing multiple times since February 2024, was found with a tattoo matching one on the singer's finger, raising questions about their relationship. Despite the grim discovery, Los Angeles police have not named any suspects or determined the cause of death, while D4vd has remained silent on the matter except through a spokesperson who stated he is "fully cooperating with authorities." The case has effectively halted the 20-year-old singer's meteoric rise to fame, with his tour canceled, brand partnerships dropped, and music promotion suspended as investigators continue their work.

Sir David Attenborough, at 99 years old, has become the oldest Daytime Emmy winner for his work on Netflix's "Secret Lives of Orangutans," breaking the previous record held by Dick Van Dyke. The documentary, which follows orangutans in Sumatra, Indonesia, won two additional Emmy awards for music and directing. Attenborough was not present at the 52nd annual Daytime Emmys held in Pasadena, California. With a career spanning more than 70 years, Attenborough has created numerous award-winning natural history programs and has over 40 animal and plant species named after him.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff apologized after facing significant backlash for suggesting President Trump should deploy National Guard troops to San Francisco ahead of the company's Dreamforce conference. The controversy led to cancelled appearances at the conference by San Francisco's mayor and other notable figures, with venture capitalist Ron Conway resigning from the Salesforce Foundation board. Benioff's apology came amid broader context of the Trump administration's controversial National Guard deployments to Democratic-led cities, including ongoing legal battles over a proposed deployment in Chicago. The incident has damaged Benioff's standing with Democratic politicians and contrasts with his history of civic engagement in San Francisco.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has dramatically increased arrests of undocumented immigrants, with a 1,100 percent rise in noncriminal immigrant detentions since 2017, targeting approximately 3,800 individuals weekly by June 2025. Despite political rhetoric claiming undocumented immigrants burden American taxpayers, data from the Cato Institute shows these immigrants contributed $96.7 billion in taxes in 2022 alone, including $25.7 billion to Social Security they cannot access, while paying a higher effective state and local tax rate (8.9%) than the top 1% of U.S. earners. The 2025 tax and budget law has further restricted benefits, stripping health coverage from 1.4 million lawfully present immigrants, including refugees and asylees, despite fact-checking by NBC News and NPR confirming undocumented immigrants do not qualify for Medicaid or Affordable Care Act tax credits. Research indicates less than 6% of immigrants detained by ICE had violent convictions, with over 70% of those arrested in Los Angeles having no criminal record whatsoever.

of "Head Start Awareness Month" Article Head Start, a federal program with local implementation, has served communities and families across America for six decades by providing adaptable early childhood education services that reflect local cultures and priorities while maintaining national quality standards. The program offers comprehensive support through engaging learning environments, health and nutrition services, early intervention for children with special needs, and two-generation approaches that empower parents alongside their children's development. Head Start's flexibility is demonstrated through diverse implementations like Mandarin language programs in Oregon, farm-based classrooms in Ohio, remote services for Alaska Native communities, and specialized programs for military families, visually impaired children, and formerly homeless families. Through strong community partnerships, Head Start maximizes limited federal funding to create programs tailored to local needs while ensuring all children receive the foundation needed for kindergarten readiness.

Donald Trump's recent claim about "beautiful Black women" begging him to visit Chicago is being criticized as a deceptive tactic that masks his administration's harmful policies toward Black women. Reports indicate that Black women, who make up approximately 12 percent of the federal workforce, have been disproportionately affected by Trump's purge of government employees, with hundreds of thousands losing their jobs. Prominent Black female officials like New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook, and Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis have faced retaliation, slander, and threats after challenging Trump. Critics, including Representative Ayanna Pressley, argue that these policies deliberately target Black women and threaten to erase the Black middle class.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially stopped recommending COVID-19 vaccines for all Americans, adopting recommendations from a new advisory group appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This represents a significant shift from previous guidance that recommended annual COVID-19 boosters for everyone aged 6 months and older. Instead, the CDC now states that Americans should make their own vaccination decisions, preferably in consultation with healthcare providers. This policy change was announced on October 6 and endorsed by Jim O'Neill, the acting CDC director, who framed it as restoring "informed consent" - a characterization that some doctors have disputed.

The 2025 MacArthur Fellows include five Black recipients among the 22 awarded the prestigious $800,000 "genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation. These Black fellows are pushing boundaries across diverse fields, including film directing (Garrett Bradley), archaeology (Kristina Douglass), photography and public art (Tonika Lewis Johnson), music (Craig Taborn), and chemical engineering (William Tarpeh). Each recipient is making significant contributions in their respective fields, from documenting racial segregation and exploring climate adaptation to transforming wastewater into resources and reimagining musical expressions through various genres and instruments.

Pensana has abandoned plans to build a rare earths refinery in East Yorkshire, choosing instead to pursue investment in the United States. The company, which has developed a rare earths mine in Angola set to deliver materials by 2027, cited China's artificially low rare earth prices as making UK refining economically unfeasible without substantial government support. The £5 million contribution offered by the previous UK government was deemed insufficient compared to the half-billion dollars in investment and soft loans provided by the US government for a similar facility in California. The scrapped Saltend project would have given the UK a strategic foothold in the rare earths industry for producing magnets used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and robotics.

Dr. Lorraine Bonner, a retired physician, presents her concept of "Liberatory Health," which integrates traditional western medicine with mindfulness and alternative approaches like meditation and guided imagery. Throughout her medical career, she treated conditions such as hypertension and diabetes while incorporating relaxation techniques and addressing root causes of illness rather than just symptoms. Dr. Bonner believes that illness stems from larger societal issues and coping mechanisms, advocating for community involvement as a pathway to collective well-being. She encourages people to connect with community helpers who are already working toward liberation through various forms of service and activism.

Leibo Glover's experience with diabetes leading to a below-the-knee amputation highlights a growing health crisis disproportionately affecting lower-income Californians. Research shows diabetes affects 1 in 6 adults with the lowest incomes compared to 1 in 11 with the highest incomes, with amputations more common in low-income ZIP codes. Dr. Bill Releford, a Los Angeles podiatrist, has responded by establishing Bloom Ranch, a 250-acre farm in Acton that serves as part of his preventive care strategy to address these disparities. The ranch aims to increase access to fresh produce in food deserts and potentially develop prescriptive vegetable boxes in partnership with UCLA and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

Rapper-actor Common, along with collaborators Karriem Riggins and James Poyser, has composed "Victory" as the official theme song for NBA on Prime Video's upcoming basketball coverage. The trio created three versions of the score—orchestral, hip-hop, and rock—recorded with a 70-piece orchestra in Nashville. The theme song will debut on October 24 during Prime Video's opening-night doubleheader featuring the Celtics vs. Knicks and Timberwolves vs. Lakers. For Common, who was once a Chicago Bulls ball boy and whose father played in the American Basketball Association, this project represents a meaningful way to connect with basketball through his musical talents.

A groundbreaking exhibition at London's Tate Modern titled "Nigerian Modernism" is showcasing over 250 works by more than 50 Nigerian artists, highlighting their significant but often overlooked contributions to modern art. The exhibition traces the development of modern Nigerian art from the 1940s through the colonial period, independence in 1960, and into the postcolonial era of the 1970s and 1980s. Notable featured artists include Ben Enwonwu, who gained international recognition while incorporating his Igbo heritage into his work, and Ladi Kwali, a pioneering female ceramicist who blended traditional techniques with modern training. This exhibition is part of a growing international recognition of African artists' contributions to modernism, reflected in both increased institutional attention and rising commercial interest.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken mixed action on bills aimed at addressing racial discrimination against Black Americans, signing legislation that allocates $6 million for CSU to study how to identify descendants of enslaved people and creating a Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery, while vetoing several other related proposals. Among the vetoed bills were measures that would have granted university admissions preference to descendants of enslaved people, investigated claims of racially unjust property seizures, and allocated 10% of first-time homebuyer funds for descendants of enslaved people. The vetoed bills were part of a broader legislative effort by the California Legislative Black Caucus to implement recommendations from a state reparations task force report documenting California's history of discrimination against Black Americans. Newsom cited various reasons for his vetoes, including existing legal authorities, potential legal risks, and lack of agency expertise to implement certain proposals.

Redemption Bank, the first Black-owned bank in the western United States, recently broke ground in Holladay, Utah, with Bernice A. King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., serving as senior vice president for corporate partnerships and community impact. The institution is classified as a Minority Depository Institution (MDI), becoming only the 24th such bank in the nation, and is uniquely positioned as the only Black-owned bank not located in an economically underserved community. Despite Utah's Black population being under 3 percent, founder Ashley Bell considers the state ideal for business due to its favorable banking regulations and supportive local investors and collaborators. The bank aims to address lending disparities highlighted by recent statistics showing 39 percent of Black-owned businesses were denied loans in 2024, significantly higher than the 18 percent rejection rate for white-owned businesses.

Freddie Bevelyn, born in 1936 in New Orleans, passed away on September 30, 2025, after a life of dedicated service and community involvement. Following a 20-year career in the U.S. Navy where he developed carpentry and firefighting skills, Bevelyn worked at NASSCO for 25 years before retiring as a foreman. He was deeply committed to Bethel AME Church, serving as a Trustee from 1996 until being appointed to the position of Emeritus in 2025, while also actively participating in the Southeast Kiwanis Club and PAZZAZ, Inc. Known for his mechanical and culinary talents, particularly his famous gumbo and pralines, Bevelyn is survived by his wife Pat, daughter, grandsons, and numerous family members and friends.

Callie M. Burke, a devoted nurse and U.S. Navy Reserve veteran, passed away on September 21, 2025, at age 77 in San Diego, California. Her 50-year nursing career spanned service in the military, VA Hospital, and Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, where she approached healthcare as a spiritual calling. A graduate of Kaiser University with a nursing degree, Burke was deeply guided by her Christian faith throughout her life. She leaves behind a loving family including sisters, four children, twelve grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren, having lived by her favorite scripture from 1 John 4:19 about loving others.

This article highlights three significant historical events that took place on October 16 across different years. In 1831, Lucy Stanton Day Sessions was born, later becoming the first African American woman to complete college-level education at Oberlin College and the first African American to publish a short story. Ebenezer D. Bassett, born in 1833, made history as the first African American diplomat when appointed as U.S. Minister to Haiti by President Grant in 1869. Finally, the Million Man March of 1995 brought together approximately 850,000 African American men at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., focusing on unity and community rebuilding, resulting in over 1.5 million Black men registering to vote nationwide.

Acclaimed actress Diane Keaton, known for her iconic roles in films such as The Godfather series, Annie Hall, and Father of the Bride, has died at age 79 from pneumonia. Her family released a statement to People magazine thanking fans for their outpouring of support following her October 11th passing in California. The news prompted tributes from numerous Hollywood stars including her First Wives Club co-stars Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler, as well as Steve Martin. Keaton's remarkable five-decade career included an Academy Award for Annie Hall along with three additional Oscar nominations, and she was also recognized for her distinctive fashion style featuring turtlenecks and hats.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris criticized the recent indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James during a Washington, DC book promotion event that was repeatedly disrupted by Gaza war protesters. Harris questioned the legitimacy of the charges, noting that a previous "conservative Republican" prosecutor had found insufficient evidence against James, and criticized Trump's appointee US Attorney Lindsey Halligan for implementing what she called a "vengeance agenda." During the event, Harris expressed frustration with multiple protest interruptions related to Gaza, and also spoke out against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement measures and deployment of National Guard to major cities. Amid a government shutdown and looming layoffs, Harris encouraged federal employees to remain in their positions despite the challenges.

The Supreme Court heard extended oral arguments in a case challenging Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which could fundamentally alter electoral politics in the American South. The case began as a lawsuit by Black Louisiana voters seeking a second majority-Black congressional district but expanded when the court decided to consider whether the Act's requirement to create "opportunity districts" for minorities is constitutional. If successful, the challenge could lead to congressional redistricting across southern states, potentially flipping more than a dozen seats from Democratic to Republican control and giving Republicans a decisive advantage in the House of Representatives. During arguments, the conservative-leaning court appeared potentially open to reinterpreting or limiting the landmark civil rights law, with Justice Kavanaugh expressing concerns about indefinite racial considerations in districting.